Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Invitation to lurkers


Dear readers:

Take a peek at the description of Swell Books in the yellow bar above. When I started this blog, I wanted it to be more of a conversation than a monologue. I was hoping for an exchange of ideas and opinions.

With the exception of a few faithful commenters, most of you who stop by here seem to prefer to remain silent. Maybe that's because you're used to being readers -- with its usual implication that you don't get to talk back to the person doing the writing. But the whole point of social media is that it's two-way! You get to add to or disagree with what the author says. You can suggest topics, like Carri did on the previous post, or just react.

Now, I've been a lurker lots of times. I've read some discussion boards regularly for years and only rarely left a comment. Because I'm basically a pretty private person. I don't always feel comfortable putting my opinions or ideas in public arenas. So I get it. I get why you may prefer to read without participating. And if you do, I'm still grateful that you're visiting the blog.

But I'm hoping at least some of you will reconsider whether you have something to add to the discussions here. Can you think of an example of a trend I've noticed? Have you had a similar experience with the publishing industry? Do you have a different take on a book I've mentioned?

I'm inviting you to join in.

To make it easier, I've added two features to the blog. One is a poll in the column on the left. This week's question is "What's your favorite Christmas classic?" Click on your answer -- or post another title in the comments.

You also now have the option to check a reaction to any post. See the boxes just below the post. The options -- they're generated by Blogger, not me -- are funny, interesting or cool. If those don't cover it for you, you can always... you guessed it ... write a comment!

I look forward to hearing from you!

NOTE: The poll is now closed. There were only 4 votes, including mine, so there really wasn't a result.